STORY 23-THE BUSINESS TRIP
It was anther hard day. I had meetings all day at my mpany’s headquarters. Smetimes these regular business trips t Kiel go on in my mind.
I always lived first lass, but it was n mparisn t living at hme.
Fr my free time in the evening, I had disvered a small bay here in whih hardly anyne was staying. Here I uld sit n a benh and mfrtably press my mail n a table.
S I switched on my notebook and delved int my eletrni mail. N human sul was here, and althugh the bay was nly ten minutes frm the htel, the alm was nly disturbed by the sund f the sea. During a break I lsed my eyes and let the sun shine n my fae.
Then I heard a slight sb diagnally behind me. ‘I’m here alne tday,’ I thught, lking arund. At the end f the path n the last step sat a little bundle f misery. It had its head n its arms and was rying. I tk a lser lk at them.
On her back she had a bakpak that lked bigger than the wearer. Her head was vered with a baseball ap, ut f whih blak streaked hair lked ut. Her sweaty t-shirt ended just abve her shrts.
The first tears dripped nt her dusty legs, leaving dark streaks until they were piked up by her small, dirty sneakers. I estimated it t be abut twenty years ld.
I went t her, bent dwn t her and asked, “an I help yu?” She lked up at me. I lked int a dirty and tear-stained fae, but it still lked very ute.
Her brwn eyes lked at me, eyed me briefly and shuted: “Are yu suh a married pervert trying t rape little girls!” Desperate anger was in her eyes nw.
“Exuse me, I didn’t want to get t ls t u,” I replied startled.
Withut further wrds I went bak t my table and continued to process my emails.This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.
Half an hur later she was sitting across frm me n the benh, lking at my bttle f la and the bisuits that were n the table.
I ignred her at first and then said withut lking at her: “Yu an get hld f it if yu want, nly I have n glass and have already drunk frm the bttle.”
I had hardly said it when she drank frm the bttle and the bisuits disappeared ne after the ther, leaving a sip f ke and that frm a large bttle, and as greedy as she had been drinking, she had almst died f thirst and had been withut fd fr a lng time.
“Thank yu,” she said. But she stayed with me and lked at me. N, I didn’t want t be shuted at again and s I ignred her. The last email was ready. I lsed the ntebk, leaned bak and enjyed the sun.
“Srry fr yelling right nw. I was s dne. The last few days have been the wrst f my life.” She stammered the aplgy and lked at me sweetly.
With suh a lk, I uld nt remain dismissive. We talked and she pured her heart ut t me.
Tgether with her byfriend, she had saved up fr the vaatin and they set ff tgether. n the way they tk a hithhiker with them. This has strethed her byfriend ut f her and wuld nw be with her byfriend.
Bianka, that was the name f the sweet reature sitting arss frm me, was simply left behind in a freeway parking lt. She had sught help withut mney. It was immediately grabbed by all ‘friendly’ helpers. Nw she had been stuk here fr a few days.
She had fund a plae in the bay where she uld spend the night undisturbed and tday my retreat was upied by me.
I tried t heer Bianka up and we talked abut a lt f things. I liked the nversatin and s the time passed until the sun went dwn. I wanted t g bak t the htel s slwly, but I was wrried abut Bianka. “Yu sleep in my htel tnight.
Tmrrw yu will get a tiket frm me and then yu will drive hme straight away. “That was a fatherly instrutin, a ntraditin was nt pssible and s Bianka fllwed me t the htel in the half-light.
At the reeptin I put my redit ard n the unter and said: “She needs a rm tnight, please with breakfast.” The guest bk was searhed by the reeptinist, but she uldn’t find a free rm. “Then she has t g t my apartment sleep n the sfa.
Please settle the st f bed and breakfast separately. ” Bianka gt an aess ard and fllwed me. There was a sense f dismfrt in her demeanr. The fear f being explited again rushed her. But Bianka was s exhausted that she had given up all resistane.
The apartment had tw separate rms, bedrm and living rm. S Bianka really had a rm t herself. I went int the bedrm with the wrds that she shuld first take a shwer and then get the bedding. I sat n the bed and turned n the televisin.
Fr a lng time I heard the rustling frm the bathrm and then a lean, pretty, little Bianka ame t get the bedding. In her ute, shrt nightie, she padded t the bed n her little feet, grabbed it and disappeared with a ‘thank yu’. I als sn lay dwn beause I had t get up early in the mrning.
The first rays f the sun wke me up. I dressed quietly and went t breakfast. When I returned t the apartment, I lked int her rm and fund her still in deep sleep. T bad I uldn’t say gdbye, but I still put sme mney in there. I wrte n a piee f paper that she shuld buy a tiket after breakfast and g t her parents’ huse.